I don't know if some of you know, but West Jessamine High School has allowed us to use their track for practice. (Thanks, West Jessamine!) Dad and I try to get out there once a week in addition to our once-a-week road time. Riding on the track is different than being on the road. It is more difficult because of the monotony of left turns! There is no variation in terrain; thus, I have had to learn to pace myself. I can't push up the hills and then ride down--it's all arms! Also, staying in track lanes is hard when you are used to riding on the road. It feels like I go from a 24-foot wide road to a two-inch wide track lane!
If you look at my calendar, you will see that I am planning to go to the Arizona Desert Challenge Games. (They are in Minnesota--just kidding.) At this track event, I plan to be nationally classified, which opens opportunities for me to compete in other events such as the National Junior Disability Championships (NJDC) in Madison, Wisconsin, in July!
When we first read the website, we thought that to register for the Desert Challenge Games you had to turn in a qualifying time. I thought that in order to get an official time, I would have to compete in a high school track meet, which soon became complicated because I am home-schooled. We tried to find a way for me to compete even if I was just racing by myself, but nothing seemed to be going right. I asked the Lord why there was so much friction, but I did not get a clear answer. Shortly thereafter, Dad contacted someone out in Arizona. It turned out that we had it all mixed up. If you make a qualifying time at this event you can qualify for other events. It was a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders. I did not have to make a qualifying time in such a short amount of time!
This week the Lord blessed me in a mighty way. Dad timed me just to see how I was doing. I pushed the 5,000m and the 1,500m, and I was able to keep a good pace and stay in my lane most of the time. We were ecstatic when we saw the stopwatch. I was within the standards for me to be able to go to NJDC!
Saturday, April 9, 2016
Friday, April 1, 2016
Saturday, March 12, 2016
Faster 10K time
Today, I raced in the Rodes City Run in Louisville, Kentucky. It is the second race in the Triple Crown of Running. I chose this race because it has a substantial wheelchair division. There were five of us total for the first two races.
I was very glad when I came to the first of the Triple Crown races (the Anthem 5K Fitness Classic) on February 27, because there was another female competitor. In that race, Tina Vogel and I were very close, but I beat her by only ten seconds. Today, she beat me by a full three minutes! Now we are even, and I am looking forward to the last race in the series to see who wins. I am still glad, even though I
came in second, because I ran my fastest 10K time, (my personal best of 36:24). That time is a full two minutes faster than my previous record from the Bluegrass 10,000 last summer in Lexington, which was 38:29! I asked the Lord for a good race, and He has given it to me.
Psalm 65
5 You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds,
God our Savior,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas,
6 who formed the mountains by your power,
having armed yourself with strength,
7 who stilled the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
and the turmoil of the nations.
8 The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;
where morning dawns, where evening fades,
you call forth songs of joy.
Here is the link for the Anthem 5K Fitness Classic:
http://www.anthem5k.com/
Here is a link for results:
http://www.anthem5k.com/results.php
Here is the link for the Rodes City Run website:
http://www.rodescityrun.com/#!home/mainPage
Here is a link for results:
https://results.chronotrack.com/event/results/event/event-14382?entryID=
 |
| The starting line at the Rodes City Run |
 |
| Just before the Anthem 5K Fitness Classic |
came in second, because I ran my fastest 10K time, (my personal best of 36:24). That time is a full two minutes faster than my previous record from the Bluegrass 10,000 last summer in Lexington, which was 38:29! I asked the Lord for a good race, and He has given it to me.Psalm 65
5 You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds,
God our Savior,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas,
6 who formed the mountains by your power,
having armed yourself with strength,
7 who stilled the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
and the turmoil of the nations.
8 The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;
where morning dawns, where evening fades,
you call forth songs of joy.
Here is the link for the Anthem 5K Fitness Classic:
http://www.anthem5k.com/
Here is a link for results:
http://www.anthem5k.com/results.php
Here is the link for the Rodes City Run website:
http://www.rodescityrun.com/#!home/mainPage
Here is a link for results:
https://results.chronotrack.com/event/results/event/event-14382?entryID=
Thursday, January 21, 2016
Calender
If you look to the right on my main blog, you will find a calendar widget. I will do my best to keep it updated, for you know where I am and what I have been doing. Each event includes the name of the race, the location of the race, and a website, so you can check it out for yourself. Check back for more updates!
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Overdue Update
Hello Aerelle's Wheels of Fire fans!
It has been a long time since I have updated the blog. I thought that I would inform you of what has been happening.
First of all my family added another Aerelle's Wheels of Fire fan! His name is Zaccharias Bennett Owen Jones. He was born September 9th. He is so cute that it is hard to get school work done!
Next, I received my wheels from my Challenged Athletes Foundation grant. These lighter-weight wheels are made of carbon fiber and have sewn-in tires. They give me a bit of extra speed and are incredibly durable!
Lastly, I have been training for my first half-marathon. The half that I will be participating in is the Renfro Rock n' Run this coming Saturday, November 14. Here is the link for the race: http://renfrorocknrun.com/ You may be able to see my results after the race. I will let you know how I did. I have been working on a new wheelchair push for this race, but more on that later.
It has been a long time since I have updated the blog. I thought that I would inform you of what has been happening.
First of all my family added another Aerelle's Wheels of Fire fan! His name is Zaccharias Bennett Owen Jones. He was born September 9th. He is so cute that it is hard to get school work done!
Next, I received my wheels from my Challenged Athletes Foundation grant. These lighter-weight wheels are made of carbon fiber and have sewn-in tires. They give me a bit of extra speed and are incredibly durable!
Lastly, I have been training for my first half-marathon. The half that I will be participating in is the Renfro Rock n' Run this coming Saturday, November 14. Here is the link for the race: http://renfrorocknrun.com/ You may be able to see my results after the race. I will let you know how I did. I have been working on a new wheelchair push for this race, but more on that later.
I also have a 5k on November 19 at the Kentucky Horse Park and another 5K on November 21, The Turkey Strut, here in Nicholasville.
Thanks for cheering me on,
Aerelle
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Bluegrass 10,000
On the Fourth, I participated in the Bluegrass 10,000 in downtown Lexington. This was my third year competing in this 10K. Last year I beat the woman's pushchair division time and I am happy to announce that I have bettered my time again this year. I think that the faster time came from dad yelling at me when the finish line was in view that I could beat my time. I had no idea that I could go that fast! Here is a link to the Lexington Herald-Leader: Bluegrass 10,000
Speaking of dad, I want to tell you that I am very proud of him. He has made the decision to get his para-sport track and field coaching training. I think that he will do a wonderful job. He is really good at explaining what he is looking for and he thinks outside the box. These are two great tools that will help him in training other adaptive athletes as well. He has done the classroom work to receive his Level I coaching in Track and Field; pray for him as he studies around his busy schedule in order to pass the online test within the next 80 days.
The Lord told me that He was going to give me a platform from which to speak and He has. Just on the fourth there were three different opportunities that he gave me to encourage somebody to get into wheelchair racing. I have had time after time to speak to someone whom I would never have even seen if I had not been doing wheelchair racing. Before I got started, I had no idea about the running community. I have even gotten to speak at Red Oak Elementary. There has not been a repentance seen or a life changing conversion, but there have been many times where I got to be the light. I have been called to a very cool ministry. Over this last week, I had another athlete ask me if I was a Christian. When I answered that I was, she nodded. She, too, is a believer, and she said she could see Jesus in me in my attitude and actions. I liked that!
This video was taken by my grandfather of the start of the Bluegrass 10K. I am on the far right in the blue.
Speaking of dad, I want to tell you that I am very proud of him. He has made the decision to get his para-sport track and field coaching training. I think that he will do a wonderful job. He is really good at explaining what he is looking for and he thinks outside the box. These are two great tools that will help him in training other adaptive athletes as well. He has done the classroom work to receive his Level I coaching in Track and Field; pray for him as he studies around his busy schedule in order to pass the online test within the next 80 days.
The Lord told me that He was going to give me a platform from which to speak and He has. Just on the fourth there were three different opportunities that he gave me to encourage somebody to get into wheelchair racing. I have had time after time to speak to someone whom I would never have even seen if I had not been doing wheelchair racing. Before I got started, I had no idea about the running community. I have even gotten to speak at Red Oak Elementary. There has not been a repentance seen or a life changing conversion, but there have been many times where I got to be the light. I have been called to a very cool ministry. Over this last week, I had another athlete ask me if I was a Christian. When I answered that I was, she nodded. She, too, is a believer, and she said she could see Jesus in me in my attitude and actions. I liked that!
Monday, July 6, 2015
Cedartown
I had the great honor this last week to compete in the same race with several world-record-setting wheelchair racers. This amazing opportunity was in Cedartown, Georgia at the Cedartown training camp and 5K. I was feeling very slow this week being around so many veterans who have so much more experience than I. At the 5K, Tatyana McFadden set a new world record of 11:11:57! (I had the time of 20:47--definitely feeling s l o w !)
To have so many elite athletes in one place was a bit overwhelming for me. Everyone was quick to listen to my questions and offer help and advice where needed. They also offered just plain friendship.
I roomed with Hannah Babalola from Nigeria, who holds the record as the second fastest woman in the 200 meter. It was great to share our stories and our faith with each other. I saw some old acquaintances from track camp last year in University of Illinois who were as glad to see me as I was to see them.
I even got to act a bit like a groupie when I finally met Tatyana McFadden. She was the first wheelchair racer whose name I knew as I began getting interested in this sport. I found it funny that Ray Martin, who is the world's fastest quad didn't intimidate me, but for some reason Tatyana did! I had her sign my Cedartown T-shirt; I may have it framed!!! (By the way, she didn't intimidate Thaddeus in the least, who tried out all of his four-year-old jokes on her and insisted on giving her a high five every time he saw her.) She is definitely a great role model because she is so humble about all of her achievements and rarely wants to talk about herself.
As Hannah would say, the people of Cedartown were "so lovely!" It was fun to find a knowledgeable group of people who were so encouraging. The committee, the sponsors, the whole community rallied around the athletes and their families to provide meals, lodging, and encouragement throughout the week. For the first time, I was a part of a 5K that was only wheelchairs. They marked the manholes, cleared the paths of gravel, and asked local residents to keep their dogs inside. These are details that aren't usually needed in a foot race, but they are in a push wheelchair competition!
Overall, I was excited to find myself in the family of wheelchair racers, not just out there by myself. The Lord blessed me with an amazing opportunity. His hand was with me.
 |
| Hannah, me, and the Nigerian flag! |
I even got to act a bit like a groupie when I finally met Tatyana McFadden. She was the first wheelchair racer whose name I knew as I began getting interested in this sport. I found it funny that Ray Martin, who is the world's fastest quad didn't intimidate me, but for some reason Tatyana did! I had her sign my Cedartown T-shirt; I may have it framed!!! (By the way, she didn't intimidate Thaddeus in the least, who tried out all of his four-year-old jokes on her and insisted on giving her a high five every time he saw her.) She is definitely a great role model because she is so humble about all of her achievements and rarely wants to talk about herself.
As Hannah would say, the people of Cedartown were "so lovely!" It was fun to find a knowledgeable group of people who were so encouraging. The committee, the sponsors, the whole community rallied around the athletes and their families to provide meals, lodging, and encouragement throughout the week. For the first time, I was a part of a 5K that was only wheelchairs. They marked the manholes, cleared the paths of gravel, and asked local residents to keep their dogs inside. These are details that aren't usually needed in a foot race, but they are in a push wheelchair competition!
Overall, I was excited to find myself in the family of wheelchair racers, not just out there by myself. The Lord blessed me with an amazing opportunity. His hand was with me.
It is God who arms me with strength
and makes my way perfect.
34
He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he enables me to stand on the heights.
35
He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
36
You give me your shield of victory;
you stoop down to make me great.
37
You broaden the path beneath me,
so that my ankles do not turn.
--2 Samuel 22:33-37
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